In recent months, Kroger has found itself in hot water. The grocery chain suffered a low ranking in a new retail customer satisfaction survey and was slammed with a lawsuit over allegedly misleading calorie counts. And now, shoppers on Reddit are accusing Kroger of "price gouging" and taking advantage of its patrons' wallets with its paid Boost membership. In response, many are vowing to boycott and switch to Aldi instead.
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Kroger shoppers are unhappy with the grocery store's Boost membership.
According to shoppers, Boost is "Kroger’s version of Amazon Prime." The annual membership ($99/year or $13/month) gets you access to free two-hour grocery delivery ($35 minimum), free grocery pickup, exclusive offers, and select streaming services (Disney+ Basic, Hulu, or ESPN+). Boost members also score 2x fuel points on every dollar spent, both in-store and online.
The grocery giant also offers a tier called Boost Essential, which will increase from $59/year to $69/year on April 10, 2025. Instead of same-day delivery, members are granted next-day delivery. Additionally, streaming service offerings are limited to a six-month trial.
While some Boost members argue that the subscription pays for itself, others say it’s "conditioning shoppers to accept a future where the best prices are only for those who pay extra."
"You're telling me I can spend money to see how much money I would save by spending more money? What a good deal!" quipped one Redditor in frustration.
"So unless you paid Kroger more money per year to be a Boost member, you're [expletive] out of luck and have fun paying extra/double?" asked one person. "They are not Sam's Club or Costco–which require a membership to enter to store. This isn’t that. This just another way to get more money out of the shoppers so they can have a chance to not overpay for certain items (yes I am aware there are other membership benefits). It's just corporate greed."
"This is one of the biggest grocery chains in the country, and it's not just raising prices—it’s actively screwing both customers and workers while pretending to hand out favors," reads another comment.
"The Kroger shopping experience has gone to [expletive]," one said, to which another replied: "This proves price gouging to me! Corporate greed at its finest!"
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Many shoppers say they're switching to Aldi.
In Aug. 2024, a Kroger executive confessed that the retailer had gouged prices on milk and eggs above inflation levels. For these reasons, many shoppers are boycotting the grocer in favor of Aldi.
"Annnnd this is why I shop at Aldi," wrote a Redditor, while another added, "I love Aldi and don’t find it much different than Kroger."
"Shop at Aldi’s and avoid the [expletive]," said a third.
"We’ve boycotted them for years at this point," confessed an angry Kroger shopper.
"I hate Kroger because of how convoluted and confusing the sales are. Anything involved a 'digital' anything is a no go for me. I just go to Aldi, where I don't need an app to get a good price on anything, and the price is simply labeled on the shelf," explained an Aldi customer.
